Ryder Cup 2012: USA left stunned by European comeback

The USA had started the last day with a commanding 10-6 lead but as the afternoon wore on and the advantage slowly slipped away, it appeared the Ryder Cup could come down to the final match between Italy's Francesco Molinari and Woods, leaving the 14-time major winner a shot at redemption for his miserable play.

But Woods would never get the chance to pull the trigger, as Germany's Martin Kaymer, playing in the penultimate pairing, stepped smartly into the hero's role dropping a nerve-jangling five-foot putt at the last to beat Steve Stricker and make sure Europe would retain the coveted golden trophy.

Speaking after the defeat captain Davis Love III admitted his team had been left shell-shocked by the result.

"We're all kind of stunned," Love said. "We know what it feels like now from the '99 Ryder Cup. It's a little bit shocking. We were playing so well, we figured it didn't matter how we sent them out there. We got a couple of matches flipped there in the middle that cost us."